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by cbruns 867 days ago
Know your state laws. Uninsured often only applies if you can prove they are uninsured. Uninsured people will hit and run, so if you don't catch their plate, you are out of luck. Make sure you have a dash cam. And if you do catch them, good luck getting any compensation from someone with no insurance. You will likely have to sue them just to collect 10 dollars from them for a couple months before they disappear. Best case scenario, they go to jail.
3 comments

My car got hit-and-run'd while parked in a hotel parking lot, and there was no evidence of who did it. I filed a claim with State Farm and the repair process was super smooth. I paid my deductible and they gave me a rental, and that was that. It's the only claim I've ever filed, so I don't really have anything to compare it to.
Insurance can or can't be easy depending on 50000 circumstances. What you just described is worst possible situation for many people.

- a 1200 dollar deductible on a car worth 4 grand is a life ruin-er for some people.

-if insurance decides to total your vehicle and you have to dispute the value, absolute nightmare.

Personal story,

I am 7 months in awaiting my court date for an uninsured dude that totaled my buddys car I was driving. It's my buddys extra car, no UIM or comprehensive coverage. I paid 7 grand to fix it out of pocket, because his insurance would have totaled it and charged him deductable. car is valued around 4k or so, despite being the cleanest 0 legacy on the planet. all new paint, mechanic owned. Other motorist hasn't paid a dime and is ignoring all court orders.

Insurance has done fu** all for all of this.

Why is uninsured a separate category from insured driver insurance? The insurance company should just pay out regardless of the characteristics of the other driver. What if they are wearing a funny hat instead of a serious hat?! Seems like a scam by the insurance companies to pad their premiums.
>Why is uninsured a separate category from insured driver insurance?

Because if another driver hits you and that driver was insured to cover all the damages they caused then their policy would cover you and you'd never have to make a claim on your own policy.

There's a lot of different types of insurance you can buy:

Liability - this is mandatory. Covers damages paid to other people caused by you.

Everything else is, typically optional.

Collision - Covers damages to your car paid to you caused by you.

Comprehensive - Covers "act of God" situations paid to you like tree falling on you car, hail damage.

Uninsured/underinsured coverage - Covers damages paid to you caused by other people who weren't carrying enough insurance to fully cover the loss.

It's because each coverage covers specific causes of losses. The pricing of the coverage needs to be justified by actuaries. It's a very competitive market, so they can't just "pad their premiums"; another company will undercut the price.
I can buy coverage to repair my vehicle if it’s damaged in a collision where I’m at fault (“collision insurance”). I can buy coverage to repair my vehicle if I’m not at fault and the other driver is under-insured (“under-insured coverage”). Same for another driver at fault who is un-insured.

Those are different risks and not everyone wants coverage for all of them.

Isn't best scenario is you get your money back?

Why wish for people to be imprisoned?

That scenario doesn't happen; you can't get money from someone who has no money.

(Theoretically, you might be able to get money back if it's a rich person who loves the thrill of driving without insurance or something. Theoretically, you could also find a winning lottery ticket on the sidewalk after the crash.)

They could go to prison for a hit-and-run, or driving without insurance, as those are crimes. But not having money is not a crime.
This exactly, thanks.
I just think it's odd the best scenario for you is for them to go to jail instead of paying you back. Might be rare but I find it strange.
Why wish for people to be imprisoned?

Hit and run can be a grave crime. You might be leaving someone for dead.

So that there's an incentive for people not to hit and run.
Seems to be working eh
So they don't do it again! He wants to protect _you_ and you're mad about it?
> Why wish for people to be imprisoned?

Because they're the disposable element of the population who does hit-and-run accidents.